August 28, 2015

DUTA Elections 2015 Result Analysis

By DU Beat August 28, 2015

th of August 2015. The elections took place at the Faculty of Arts Building from 10 am till 5pm. Incumbent President Ms. Nandita Narain of St. Stephen’s College, Mr. Rajendra Mehta of the Department of Modern Indian Language and Literary Studies, Mr. Sanjay Kumar of Zakir Hussain Evening College and Mr. VS Negi of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College were contesting for the post of President of the Delhi University Teachers Association. Ms. Nandita Narain of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) emerged victorious late last night with a final tally of 2390 defeating Mr. VS Negi of the National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF) who put up a tough fight with his final tally coming to 2164. Credits: thehindu.com Whereas the campaigning was void of any controversy, the same could not be said for the tallying, which ended on a rather dramatic note. The counting that started at 6 pm on the evening of August 27^th was stalled a little after midnight. Two of the ballot papers in favor of the Academics for Action and Development (AAD) candidate Sanjay Kumar had allegedly been mutilated but were nonetheless declared valid by the election commission. The NDTF walked out in protest but the following round of votes was still calculated in their absence. The results of the elections may have been declared but this situation is far from over with an apparent set of negotiations taking place for another round of counting and threats by the AAD to go to court. Credits: newindianexpress.com Whether or not these negotiations result in a recount of votes, Ms. Nandita Narain successfully retained her post as President of the Delhi University Teachers Association. With a newly elected Executive Committee, DUTA is sure to continue fighting for the interests of Delhi University’s students and teachers and ensure that a unified and independent Teachers’ movement is kept alive in DU for the years to come. The newly elected committee is as follows:

	Name	Political Affiliation
1.	Sunil Kumar	NDTF
2.	Anil Sharma	NDTF
3.	Rajesh Jha	AAD
4.	Sandeep	UTF
5.	Seema Das	AAD
6.	Bhupinder Chowdhury	DTF
7.	C.S. Rawat	AAD
8.	Rajiv Verma	AAD-Rathi
9.	A.M. Khan	INTEC
10.	Vijaya Venkatraman	DTF
11.	Angad Tiwari	DTF
12.	Vivek Mohan	DTF
13.	Shambunath Dubey	NDTF
14.	Sunil Kayasth	INTEC
15.	Ashok Yadav	NDTF

Featured Image Credits: aapkatimes.com Shraman Ghosh [email protected]]]>

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Viva Via Skype for Delhi University Ph.D. Students

By Arindam Goswami August 28, 2015

In an attempt to simplify matters for students pursuing Ph.D. at the University of Delhi, the varsity now allows the students to appear for their viva through skype or any other mode of video conferencing.

Usually scholars who are ready to submit their thesis are offered diverse opportunities abroad. But earlier due to the requirement of appearing for the viva in person, such students had to fly back to the country. Since it created an unfavorable situation, this need has now been done away with by the University.

The students who are willing to opt for the mechanism of viva through video conferencing are required to inform their concerned departments in advance. As per the directives from the University Grants Commission (UGC), it is a mandate that all submitted thesis should be subjected to plagiarism check by specialised softwares to curb plagiarism.“There are certain softwares which are available over the internet too but they do not yield fool proof results.We are procuring certain specialised softwares to ensure the scholars cannot do any cut-paste job,” a varsity official was quoted as telling a national daily. Also, if an expert from the interview panel is unable to be a part of the viva in person, a similar setup needs to be adopted to conduct the process.

These amendments with regard to the doctoral programmes got approval during an Executive Council (EC) meeting earlier this month. The time span for completing a Ph.D. has been increased from 4 years up to a maximum of 6.5 years. The earlier norm of a separate admission process for each department is now replaced by a compulsory entrance test for all Ph.D. aspirants.

Though the varsity purports to make the process more student friendly, the viability of the proposal is yet to be seen.

Tanya Agarwal

[email protected]

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QWERTY

QWERTY: What’s up, tech?

By Arushi Pathak August 28, 2015

Here is our weekly dose of tech to keep you updated on all that’s happening in this crazy world of IO Hawks, Flying hoverboard, Holograms and what not:

WhatsApp Web finally arrives for iPhone users: WhatsApp Web will now work with Safari on the Mac as well as Apple’s iPhone. Previously, this was exclusive to the Android fan base. Though it isn’t available to everyone as of now, but eventually all the Apple users will be able to use WhatsApp over their mobile browser just by scanning the QR code from the WhatsApp website via their cell phone. It is easy to use and works flawlessly without any hiccup when we tried the web version. The web version is very practical and can save a lot of time, you won’t have to check your cell for texts as the web version has a notification option too.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow coming soon: another fancily named Android update will be released all over the world in Q3 of 2015. It was first unveiled at the Google I/O recently. The update will bring improvements and lots of new features to get the Android community really excited. The update will include features like Android Play, Finger Print support, Power Management, App Linking, Improved web experience and of course a smoother user interface, apart from bug fixes.

India’s first Ubuntu phone set to be released: BQ, the Spanish handset maker has announced Aquaris E 4.5 and Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Edition smartphones that will be available only on Snapdeal. Both the cell phones are equipped with DragonTail Glass for scratch resistance, Full HD camera and expandable memory up to 32 gigabytes. The cell phones will be available online by the end of this month.

Sony’s Virtual Reality headset, Morpheus, is complete: This might sound like just another ordinary gaming news, but it is not. Morpheus will completely change the way games are played. It is set for launch in the first quarter of 2016. The sleek looking headset is something every gamer wants and it will be interesting to see what Microsoft will be rolling as Morpheus killer around that time . Sony’s previous add-ons were really not a big hit with the fans like Playstation Eye and Playstation Move, but this time they seem to have it right.

Huawei launches Hunor 7i: The phone is very interesting and shows how much Huawei wants its consumers to have good photographs, especially selfies. The camera on this cell phone is a whopping 13 megapixels and is on a pivot, which can be flipped back and forth to get photographs! The phone is only available in China as of now. In terms of specifications, the new smartphone features a 5.2-inch FHD LCD display. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 616 64-bit octa-core processor, with 3GB RAM and includes an internal storage at 32GB.

Featured Image Credits: androidauthority.net

Sahil Siddiqui

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Shri Ram College of Commerce

Indefinite future of the Unregistered Societies and Union of SRCC.

By Arushi Pathak August 28, 2015

According to the recent college guidelines imposed on the students by Dr. Ashok Sehgal, the new officiating principal, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) no longer conciliates the title of the ‘most-happening college’ in Delhi University and has distinctly pledged the future of approx. 40 unregistered societies. A compendium of rules issued by the Principal has inflicted various obstacles for students in the field of organizing cultural festivals.

For instance, cultural activities like Rain Dance Fresher’s and Prom Nights will be discontinued from this year. “Rain Dance leads to wastage of resources, unnecessary litigations and damage of college property, so it is in our best interest to avoid this particular event”, said a staff member.This year the authorities will keep a close check that no star performer or artist can be paid more than Rs. 10 Lakhs during Crossroads, the annual fest, unlike last year where Atif Aslam was paid Rs 40 Lakhs for a mere 20 minutes performance.

Unregistered societies on the other hand cannot organize their individual fests except a few academic and co-curricular activities. Events like SRCC Youth Conference which were usually held during this time of the month will now have to wait for the elections to end, i.e. 11^th September. There’s a stringent necessity now for all registered societies (including The Students’ Union) to take prior consent from the Principal himself (along with the estimated budget) regarding any event or activity they want to organize.

Furthermore, they are neither allowed to post any notice or poster in the name of the college without a careful scrutiny by the teacher concerned, nor obtain money from the students in any form (including tickets and passes which were their major source of funds). It is also mandatory to deploy lady police to ensure safety and security of all the female students during the fests considering various past cases of eve teasing or molestation during the annual fest.

However, the most severe imposition according to the students who are ardently absorbed in the pre-elections campaigning is that no post in the Union shall be awarded to the students with attendance less than 75% and academic arrears.

Tamanna Goel

[email protected]

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Campus Central

The Consequences of Change on Hindu and and its Students

By Arindam Goswami August 28, 2015

Furthermore, the fate of Hindu’s famous V-Tree Festival conducted every year on the 14^th of February has been put into question. Many students are of the opinion that even if the festival is somehow conducted, the response that it receives every year will not be the same. The annual college fest, ‘Mecca,’ considered by many to be one of DU’s best, also requires a large area to set up stalls and stages. Events will have to be planned by the student union in a manner that doesn’t disrupt the construction and at the same time doesn’t reduce the standards set in previous years. Though students may be upset by the decision of the college authorities, it is important for them to realize that progress is impossible without change and these changes are being implemented keeping in mind the best interest of the college and its students. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” Shraman Ghosh [email protected]]]>

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Miranda House

The optimistic reality of social welfare schemes revealed at Vishleshan

By Shubham Kaushik August 28, 2015

Vishleshan, the official discussion forum of Arthashastra, the Economics Society of Miranda House college hosted Dr. Reetika Khera, an eminent developmental economist and social activist, for their first seminar of the session, titled “Doles, Freebies, Handouts: A Right(s) Approach to Populism”, on 26^th August.

Dr. Reetika Khera, associated with institutions like Delhi School of Economics, IIT-Delhi, Centre for Economic Development and the Planning Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute, was actively involved with the implementation of the National Rural Employment Generation Act (NREGA) scheme and champions the cause of social welfare schemes.

The Seminar was preceded by a short reading group, where students discussed Dr. Khera’s work and talked about relevant issues, like the situation of public welfare schemes in India-the benefits they provide to people on a daily basis versus the expenditure on them. At 1.30 p.m, Dr. Khera took the stage after being welcomed warmly by Ananya Goyal and Arushi Gupta, Co-Heads of Vishleshan.

During the course of the seminar, which lasted for around an hour, Dr. Khera successfully broke down the concept of social welfare schemes and put forth her stance of supporting their expansion and upkeep. She mentioned how there had been recent talks about India’s social welfare policies being too “populist” when in actuality, we are a “world champion in social underspending”. Dr. Khera broke down the stigma against social welfare schemes by tackling the often-repeated issues like how expenditure on them adds to the fiscal deficit and how India cannot afford to fund these schemes anymore. She took on another major issue against schemes like The Public Distribution System, which are thought to be riddled with corruption and hence inherently ineffective.

In reality, statistics show that there have been considerable improvements in the PDS, with states like Bihar seeing a turnaround in their effectiveness. Dr. Khera also criticised the use of obsolete data from 1997-2001 which have been cited by columnists of leading newspapers to speak out against NREGA and other such social welfare measures. She ended her lively session by stating, “It just takes political will and basic technological intervention to run welfare schemes”, which was followed by an interaction session where attendees commented on and brought forth other relevant observations.

“In our quest for stimulating discussion on matters of importance in Economics, I believe that we are on a good start with the lecture by Dr. Khera. Her passion for her work, particularly for raising standards of living across the board by constitution of Rights for Necessities was inspiring for the entire lot of young economists in the audience,” said Ananya Goyal, the Co-Head of Vishleshan.

For more updates on Vishleshan events, visit their Facebook Page here.

Image Credits: Niketa Singh, Arthashastra (The Economics Society of Miranda House)

Shubham Kaushik

[email protected]

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Delhi University makes haircuts compulsory for boys!

By DU Beat August 28, 2015

Delhi University has established a rule making haircuts compulsory for boys!Male students of Delhi University are now required to have their hair cut in one of four university approved ways in order to “change the image of the average DU student.” A special committee set up for this purpose passed a resolution on Monday approving four different hairstyles that male students are allowed to sport in college. The approved hairstyles mentioned in the ordinance include the flattop cut (commonly sported by Simon Cowell), the bowl cut (a popular American hairstyle during the 1980s) and variations of the crew cut, which most Indian boys have had at some point in their life. Students are, however, not allowed to shave their heads completely without prior permission from their college principals. “We believe that our students should exhibit the same sense of cleanliness and discipline as our armed forces, we hope to reach a similar consensus on clothing before the end of this year,” said a member of the DU administration.

Although college life has never been associated with any such regulations, institutions in different parts of the world have often made such attempts to curtail personal freedoms. For example, last year the North Korean government passed a guideline that required all its male university students to get the same hair cut as their beloved leader Kim Jong-un. Back home, the initial response from students has not been particularly positive but student unions across colleges have requested its students to approach this change in a unified manner. “We understand that this is a threat to the sovereignty and independence of the students but we must find an appropriate time and place to stage our protest, till then we request all students to kindly accept the new ordinance,” said a member of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU). Whether this hair cut scheme will erupt into another standoff between the DU administration and its students or indeed lead to a change in the image of the average DU student, only time will tell. Until then, we advice our male readers to visit a barber as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news! A visit to the barber with the mentioned hairstyles may be injurious to your reputation.

Shraman Ghosh
[email protected]

Image credits: Google Images

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DUB News

Let’s take a ‘Selfie with Plant’- It’s time to go green!

By DU Beat August 28, 2015

The nationwide ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inspired the members of Students For Development (SFD) to come up with the ‘Selfie with Plant’ campaign. SFD is a group of students who work towards the socio-economic and ecological development of the nation, through the constructive power of the youth.

Mr.Modi once said, “If seeds of good harvest and good culture are sown, the rewards of a rich harvest can be reaped by generations to come.” Therefore, the main aim of this campaign is to promote the necessity of planting trees in our country and foster love towards nature, with the help of social media.

The campaign was launched on 10th July, 2015. It started with volunteers of SFD planting 50 saplings near Shakti Nagar in New Delhi. The objective was to encourage the youth to plant as many trees as possible so as to increase greenery in the city. The participants received much appreciation and were featured in several national newspapers. The Delhi-based campaign also motivated the SFD branches of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and several other states to start similar initiatives in their respective turfs.

Vijay Tyagi, SFD, Delhi’s Social Media Coordinator said, “We have started this campaign to promote a plantation drive among the youth and spread awareness among all the students about the true importance of tree plantation and the environment.” SFD believes that pollution can only be controlled if every person plants a sapling. Thus, the outfit advocates that one should plant at least one sapling on birthdays and then upload a picture/selfie with the hashtag- #SelfieWithPlant or #GreenSelfie on any social media networking site and share it with others.

It is only through such efforts at the grassroots level that we get to see changes at the macro level. For instance, according to the latest India State of Forest report 2013 (published biennially), it was reported that there has been an increase of a total of 5,871 sq km worth of forest cover in India.

Shagun Marwah
[email protected]

Featured Image Credits: www.iamin.com

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